Indie Sensation “Snowpiercer” Available On-Demand This Week

Snowpiercer, one of the summer’s most buzzed-about films, will be available on-demand starting Friday, July 11.

Major video-on-demand outlets, including iTunes, Vudu, and Amazon Instant Video will offer the film, as will cable and satellite providers.

The latest movie from director Bong Joon-ho (Mother, The Host), Snowpiercer takes place in the future, when an experiment to reverse the effects of global warming has killed off almost all life on Earth. The only survivors are the people on a high-tech train that perpetually circles the globe.

Snowpiercer is based on a French graphic novel entitled Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette. It stars Chris Evans, Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton, and Octavia Spencer.

The film opened theatrically in limited release on June 27. It did exceptional business, earning more than $160,000 dollars in only eight cinemas. It went into 250 theaters over the July 4th weekend, and shocked many people by collecting just over a million dollars.

Reviews for Snowpiercer have been ecstatic. It currently has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The release pattern is unusual for a movie that’s generating such buzz. Typically, the company releasing Snowpiercer, Radius-TWC, would build on the box office success by continually adding theaters each week until the film was playing nationwide, with an on-demand release coming later. Instead, they have decided they can reach more viewers with the dual theatrical/VOD release.

In a statement issued to the press, Radius co-president Tom Quinn said, “We’re embracing both the benefits of a platform theatrical, but also the merits of going SUPER WIDE, by making it available on more ‘screens’ than any movie this summer.”

What this means is that, no matter where you live, you’ll be able to see one of the summer movies that is generating the most heat. VOD prices are roughly the same as what you’d pay to buy a ticket at a theater, so it’s a great bargain, especially if you gather your friends together for a viewing party.

Do you plan to catch Snowpiercer? Have you already seen it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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About The Author

Mike McGranaghan is the film critic for The Aisle Seat. His film writing can also be found at Film Racket and Daily Grindhouse, and his reviews are heard weekly on the radio stations of Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation. He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Online Film Critics Society, as well as the author of two books, "Straight-Up Blatant" and "My Year of Chevy."